Loose Fortunes
by Elysian Stars
Summary: A series of ficlets, looking through the eyes of many different characters in The World: R2.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Notes:_ .hack/G.U.is property of CyberConnect2, and I'm making no financial profit from the use of their characters. Each drabble is based around one of the major arcana from a Tarot deck, so I'll be writing a total of 22. Comments are greatly appreciated, including concrit.

Regarding the first one, I'm aware that Hiiragi's PC is male, but he seems to prefer it when people refer to him using female pronouns.

**Loose Fortunes**

**0. The Fool**

She'd felt like such a fool. As if it wasn't tragedy enough that the man she'd adored had lost his mind, then somebody told her about those Online Jack episodes. He wasn't a man at all! Just some child with wisdom beyond his years, and even that had withered away.

But such a deception made it even easier to sweep him from her heart. Hiiragi saw The World as a place where she could be _honest_ about herself, far more than in the real world. Some silly people hadn't respected that, but many did – she'd been one of Moon Tree's Unit Leaders, after all. Nothing good came from too many lies.

She found herself thinking of Moon Tree a lot lately, reminiscing. Frankly, she missed it, would welcome being surrounded by other people's drama again. Many ex-members still played The World: Sophora, who was really a sweetheart under that silent exterior, and Matsu, though he'd never been one of Hiiragi's favourite people, and Kaede always chasing after Lord Zelkova (who might be a much better leader than Sakaki had claimed, during those last awful squabbles and mutinies).

It was Sakaki's charm and noble ideals (and admittedly, his gorgeous PC too) that first drew Hiiragi to Moon Tree, but now it was for the guild's own sake that she hoped for its revival. She'd been a fool before, but no longer!

**I. The Magician**

Hacking was a kind of magic, when you thought about it. Not OrLei Zas-type fireworks, or rabbits out of trick hats, but real, powerful sorcery that could change the shape of The World and everything in it, turn people into frogs and frogs into King Chim Chims, if you liked.

Zelkova had plenty of fun with his magic, and plenty without it too. For boring tasks like item farming he'd just key in the right symbols and - _Abracadabra!_ – no need to bother with that now, let's go kick Chim Chims instead! But for other things, like organising Moon Tree, there was no secret shortcut (not that hacking was super easy). You couldn't just _make_ people think the way you wanted, you had to talk in a clear voice and listen with an open heart - but that could be just as much fun, because Moon Tree had so many nice people. Sometimes it made Zelkova even prouder than his work on Tartarga.

The Seven Council all believed in changing The World to better shapes, though they each went about it differently. There was one Unit Leader, Sakaki, who had been acting kind of weird lately - but things would probably turn out fine, even without magic. They always did!

**II. The High Priestess**

No doubt Harvest Cleric was the gentlest class in The World, the kindest. The Medic Union proved that, with their tubby little PCs dedicated to healing and buffing strangers, not even asking for a thank-you in return (though Atoli always thanked them with a smile, and reminded Haseo to as well). She'd been drawn in by that gentleness, and lived up to it as best she could, though she sometimes worried if her best was good enough. But if she made too many mistakes then people would tell her, right? Haseo certainly would. He was good for things like that.

It was strange, how different the real and online worlds could be. Atoli tried to be the same kind person everywhere, she really did, but the real world didn't have healing spells or famous guilds, so nobody wanted to know her. She still tried to act cheerful even when she felt sad inside, and do generous things, but…nobody wanted to know. Even birds at the park wouldn't hang around somebody who had no bread for them.

Sometimes Atoli wondered what would happen if the world and The World collided, and she gained magical healing powers in both. Then she wouldn't go ignored. A child would fall and scuff their knee in the pavement, and get up with a wonder-filled smile for her after she cast Repth. Everybody who didn't care before would want her help, and be friendly, and she'd have the choice of turning them all away because of their past unkindness.

But of course she wouldn't do that. She would heal them all, even when they didn't thank her afterwards, even when she was tired herself, so long as they acknowledged her in the moment of need. It was nice to know that, to know it made her a gentle person, but…it was also a little frustrating, and a little sad if she dwelled on it too much.

**III. The Empress**

Sometimes, when the other Epitaph Users were at their worst, Pi felt like the teacher to a mob of unruly schoolchildren. When Haseo started picking fights or Kuhn began flirting with random female PCs, when Saku was shrieking about some crime against romance – Pi had no interest in the details, but felt slightly concerned that such a young girl was trying to find boyfriends over the internet. A certain amount of trouble could be forgiven, Pi supposed, because they were young and easily distracted (and not employed by CC Corp, not privy to so many alarming reports). But even children should be able to grasp that a looming Network Crisis was a _bad thing_.

Master Yata, on the other hand, was far more reliable.

Then there were better times, when the foolishness of an Epitaph User's actions would be neutralised by bravery, by the results it produced. When they came together as an effective, harmonic team (and in real life, Pi's cat curled up on her lap and purred regally, because it had learned that the appearance of the M2D meant she'd be sitting still for a while). And yes, of course she felt proud of them then, of course it gave her renewed hope for the future.

But she still wouldn't rate any of them higher than Master Yata.

**IV. The Emperor**

They were good kids at heart, all of them (though Antares didn't know how old Sirius and Taihaku were in real life, to be calling them kids). Past and present alike, they'd all pulled together when it counted most, no matter how badly they'd been led astray before. He was damn proud of them for that.

Over here was Taihaku, swinging a sword less fancy than Silad had been, but getting the job done just as well. Back to back stood fiery little Alkaid and tall, solemn Sirius, looking nothing alike but hacking into Cubia Gomoras (or whatever these things were called, not like it made a difference) with equal guts. You'd never know the pair of them had been out cold in comas just a few days ago, would you?

And there was that quiet one, Endrance, backing up Antares' own star pupil. Haseo raced past with a glance to his mentor, before he and his party vanished into some kind of hacked portal, leaving only the monster swarms behind. Antares took a gulp of his whiskey in real life, and grinned with relish. Past and present, old and new, the Emperors of Icolo were combining their might for stakes higher than any arena battle. A good day to die, but an even better one to live and triumph!

**V. The Hierophant**

Yata entertained no illusions about the power he held (unless that itself was an illusion). He was no god, but controlled many rare tools, and knew how best to use each one. He had the Serpent of Lore and the trust of CC Corp, his background as a .hacker and information broker…and his Avatar, providing leverage even in its dormant state. But it would awaken eventually, so long as he kept faith.

So his power was significant, tempered by a deep love of The World to only use it wisely. Supported by Pi, a trusted colleague, and Kuhn, who felt much compassion for his fellow players, and then Haseo, an obnoxious brat in dire need of guidance, but who seemed to be finally opening his eyes. Later Atoli, a meek but kind-hearted girl, and Endrance, a difficult soul only joining because he was smitten with Haseo, and Sakubo, a divided soul only joining because one half was smitten with Endrance. Not ideal allies, those last two, but perhaps they could be guided as well as Haseo had been. Yata's disciples, in a way.

Numbers meant strength, meant that a solution to defeating AIDA must be close at hand. Yata never doubted this, because doubting meant imagining the death of The World, and that was beyond imagination. Why did CC Corp keep harassing him, trying to hurry the process? Didn't they believe he was doing his best? Didn't they have faith in their creations?

When the Serpent of Lore was snatched from him, Yata felt all the bitterness of a fallen deity, the doors to eternity slamming closed in his face.

**VI. The Lovers**

Valentine's Day was one of Kuhn's favourite holidays. This year he'd gotten an especially good haul, both offline and on – though of course it wasn't the gift itself that mattered, but the deep feelings of the girl behind it. He tried not to think about how much his wallet would be stretched to repay them all, once White Day rolled around.

When he asked Pi what she was going to give him, she replied that Valentine's Day was a ridiculous consumerist occasion. When he asked if she'd given Yata anything, the look in her eyes wasn't so much heart-stealing as blood-curdling. Kuhn left her alone and went to compare gifts with the guys.

Silabus said he'd received something, but wouldn't say from who, and seemed rather puzzled about the whole deal. Gaspard shyly admitted that a nice girl in his class had given him chocolates, for which Kuhn congratulated him heartily, until his face darkened from pink to red. Haseo was a harder nut to crack; he rebuffed all Kuhn's questions, saying it was a stupid thing to talk about.

"C'mon, you must have gotten something! Not from Atoli or Alkaid? Not even Endrance? LOL"

"Two out of three; stuff like that isn't Alkaid's style. Now go bother someone else."

**VII. The Chariot**

Some people think it's silly, Tabby knows – how she dashes around, always smiling, always looking for a new source of fun. They think it makes her silly, and that she can't think about complex and serious matters like they do.

Of course she can, as much as she has to! Nursing is a serious job, taking another person's life into your hands and making them feel confident in your skills. And sometimes they'll be too sick to cure, and it will be very sad (and she'll still have to put on a cheerful face for the other patients).

But The World isn't a good place for sadness, is it? It's a place for meeting friends and going on adventures, and the bad times she's had here are all in the past. Shino is awake, Haseo isn't angry anymore, and Sakisaka grumbles but says he's considering a return too, even though the Twilight Brigade is gone forever. Seisaku and Hideyo still really care about healing people, and say she can join the Medic Union anytime. The World is a _happy_ place to be, so why not smile with all her heart?

**VIII. Strength**

People can be strong in many different ways. Silabus knew his PC wasn't all that special: he couldn't hold his own against those scary high-level PKs, and always brought plenty of healing items when he went on a quest (some for him, and extra for everybody else). He didn't have rare equipment or a lot of money, and believed it was best to help newbies earn things for themselves, rather than buying them whatever they needed; spare items went to Shop Acorn because Gaspard enjoyed running it, but it was only a small, low-level shop. Canard itself was still beginner level, with a little guild base in Mac Anu that had no special features.

Silabus didn't mind any of those facts, though, because they weren't why he played The World. You could either hoard all your time, all your effort, all your strength for yourself, or you could spread it around so that everyone felt the benefit; Canard took the second approach. No high-level players looked up in envy when Silabus and Gaspard strolled by, but some of the newbies smiled and waved, and that was a far better feeling.

**IX. The Hermit**

…It hurt. Nothing had ever cut this deep when Mia – the newer Mia, the small, frail, speechless Mia – had been by his side. Even the contentment she'd brought was hazy and watered-down, compared to the vicious ache of Endrance's loneliness now. Why did things always happen this way, taking the cruellest possible path?

All he could rely on now was the ice, sealing him up in its hard, apathetic embrace. He could still speak if he chose, but had nothing to say, and still saw with relative clarity, but there was nothing much to look at. Motes of snowy light drifted through the dead air of Indieglut Lugh. A child visited sometimes to chatter nonsense at him.

And then Haseo came, and then Haseo left, and the ice began to melt…

Half of Endrance was afraid, knowing that once he tore this cocoon he'd be out amongst others with no shelter, no security. He could be hurt again. Even if Haseo was sincere, even if Haseo truly needed him, something bad could still occur, and Endrance feared that one more tragedy might shatter him for good. He was afraid…

…Yet he was hopeful, too. Haseo, that angry and prideful person who'd sought conflict in Demon Palace, had a new note of kindness in his voice. Sounded stronger, but more willing to speak from his heart, admit that he couldn't win alone. Haseo, who had slain that new Mia – that thing that wasn't truly Mia, but a safe and beautiful delusion. Could he replace that now, with something real? Would he? If Endrance gave Haseo his aid, would Haseo…?

The more Endrance thought about it, the more like destiny it seemed…

**X. Wheel of Fortune**

Piros the 3rd considered himself a very fortunate man, yes indeed! He led not one but three excellent lives, at home, at work and online. A lesser man might have found this tiring, or struggled to manage his time, but Piros never found himself weary or discontent - though it was true that those around him sometimes suffered from such emotions, most likely because of their weaker spirits. His wife in particular seemed to feel this way, but with luck their daughter would inherit her father's bright and blazing soul!

Piros furnished his daughter with her own set of paints and brushes, eager to encourage her artistic side. And oh, the mischief she got up to with those! He'd be keeping an eye on her while he played The World, become distracted for an instant, and in that brief spell she'd ruined a rug with her first forays into finger-painting (hadn't that one been a gift from his wife's cousin?). Her antics never failed to amuse him!

But alas! One day he returned home from work, eager to spend an hour or two hunting Tri-Edge before dinner, only to discover that his M2D had fallen afoul of his daughter's paint brushes! His wife explained that it had been an accident, but was less sympathetic than he'd expected her to be…


	2. Chapter 2

**XI. Justice**

His condition was deteriorating; water seldom flowed uphill. The universe had no greater sense of justice, of fairness in these matters, and who was Phyllo to complain? He was the one who listened to everyone else's problems, and that was the way he liked it. Right up until the end, sitting on a bridge above Mac Anu's glittering golden canals. Nicer than staring at the blank ceiling of a hospital ward, wasn't it?

No, the one really being dealt an injustice here was that boy, Haseo. He still came to see Phyllo even though he was so angry now, so full of corrosive grief, and probably ignored most of Phyllo's advice. Clearly he has nobody else to talk to, nobody taking proper care of him in the real world. Phyllo had no inflated sense of his own importance, but he worried about what would happen to that boy in the future. It was a shame to read the first pages of a powerful story, but be denied its ending.

Still, those weapons were waiting in Caerleon Medb, they weren't going anywhere. Antares had his instructions, when the time was right. He wouldn't drop the torch Phyllo passed to him.

Ovan, on the other hand…Phyllo had trouble believing that man's actions were wholly just. No point worrying about it now, though. It was out of Phyllo's hands, his thinning, weakening hands.

**XII. The Hanged Man**

Of all the paths Ovan could take from this point, not one led to peaceful shores. Be the monster who left his beloved little sister to rot, or the monster who caused dozens, perhaps hundreds of others to suffer, all for the sake of a single tiny life. What else could he do now, besides carry on digging his own grave?

Even if it would be a literal grave as well as a metaphorical one, it made no difference. AIDA ate into his arm, sealed and subdued with all the powers a hacker and Epitaph User could command, and Aina ate into his heart, and both devoured his sanity like ripe fruit. He was not incapable of rational thought yet, of careful planning and string-pulling, but he would be eventually. He was not out of control yet, reaping Lost Ones through a fevered, bloody haze, but he would be eventually. If Haseo's rage didn't bloom into power swiftly enough.

Sometimes Ovan unearthed pieces of himself that didn't care about his fate at all. Sometimes he unearthed pieces that truly feared.

**XIII. Death**

Somewhere during those six vicious, miserable months as the Terror of Death, Haseo began confusing his online persona with his real life self. He was drunk on power, made reckless by rage, tangled up in the illusion of invincibility. When the lights at a pedestrian crossing flashed red, he wanted to snarl at the traffic and stride on regardless; when somebody annoyed him he wanted to whip out his scythe and cut a path through the crowd, keep on swinging until everyone just _fucking shut up_ and backed off let him get to wherever the hell he was going in peace. Until he was too exhausted to move, or think, or remember what was making him feel this way.

But he wasn't that stupid, to draw that much attention to himself. Then people would be concerned, ask questions, try to make him talk calmly about things that needed to be spat and screamed. Teachers, parents, well-meaning idiots who had no clue where he went every day, whose bed he sat beside in a ward full of the half-dead being tended to by the half-alive.

Once he reached out to hold her hand, but it was all cold bone and brittle, IV-punctured skin; he flinched back quickly, feeling like an intruder. Then he left, and glowered at all the recently-healed patients on their way home, knowing that none of them deserved to be well half so much as Nanao Shino did.

**XIV. Temperance**

Shino had never been a loud, excitable person, even in childhood. She liked tending to plants and reading books, and she liked playing The World, but was happiest just sitting and talking to her friends there, just getting to know people. That was still true after her coma, but The World seemed different now, somehow…colours less sharp, more organised, and certain sounds muted or gone altogether. It wasn't a problem with her own senses, as she'd been given a clean bill of health by the doctors, and her M2D was in good working order. But she couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing.

Sometimes she looked at Atoli, tilting her head as if listening to music that nobody else could hear, and wondered if there was a connection. And sometimes she looked at Haseo, hurrying Atoli along on the way to pick up a quest, and wondered if her loss wasn't elsewhere altogether.

But Shino was the one who had invited Atoli to Hulle Granz along with Haseo, and told him to be true to himself. She had stood on that same spot when Ovan lunged at her with his monstrous blades, and not raised a hand in her defence, because she'd trusted him so very much. She wasn't a loud person, calm and soft-spoken and thrifty with her displays of deep emotion – and that was a good thing, she decided, or else she might sometimes sob quite loudly.

**XV. The Devil**

Could Sakaki have won all he wanted without this unpleasantness, caught all his flies with honey? Certainly, he was a brilliant enough man for that. The truth – and he saw no point in denying it – was that torturing Haseo _delighted_ him, better than his shiny toys at the Serpent of Lore or the power of a CC Corp admin, almost better than being given a new seed of AIDA! A guiltless pleasure, justice in action and pure poetry in motion.

Some might suggest, impudently, that this conflicted with his ultimate ideals, his world of perfect peace and harmony. But not so, not at all! A nuisance like Haseo would always try to disrupt that, would always need to be crushed sooner or later. Sakaki wasn't being cruel to anyone who didn't _deserve_ it. _That _was the key. If beings of lower intelligence couldn't understand, well, that was their problem. He wasn't asking for their permission. He knew what was best, what was best for all of them.

Or, in Haseo's case, what was worst. The very thought made Sakaki smile, made the AIDA nestling in his heart flutter and glow.

**XVI. The Tower**

Yeah, so Bordeaux enjoyed PKing. So what? Better to get on and do something than sit around whining all day. You didn't hear her crying about PPKs, did you?

Those preaching pansies at Moon Tree, they could all go to hell. That hypocrite Matsu who used to live for PKing, and Hiiragi who flounced around in Holy Palace, and that weirdo Sakaki who'd turned sort of cool but then dropped off the face of The World. And Icolo, sure they were strong, but why confine it to the arena? As for Canard, those losers wouldn't have even existed to her if their guild master wasn't the Terror of Death. Which was dumb, because they were supposed to be a noob-helping guild, and how did _he_ ever help out? Sure, if somebody killed a noob he'd PPK in return, but Bordeaux had seen him in action; she knew he just wanted the excuse to fight (and someday she'd give him the fight of his life).

No, Kestrel was the only guild she'd ever care about. Master Gabi understood the PK philosophy, even though he didn't follow it himself. He understood that it wasn't some heinous crime to freak out over, that it was just a game, a sport, a way to let off steam and stop yourself going crazy. He understood almost everything.

Though really, it would be pointless if _everyone_ treated PKing that way, if even the victims were chilled out and didn't suffer. Then she'd need a new hobby!

**XVII. The Star**

It's a weird feeling, the first time Alkaid logs in after waking from her coma. Sirius is waiting in Lumina Cloth, back to his old self again; he tells how Haseo freed him from AIDA, amongst all the other news. She laughs, asks if Haseo is Holy Palace Emperor now, then.

He's Sage Palace Emperor, according to Taihaku. Alkaid laughs harder, because that's just like Haseo. Says she's sorry to have missed all the fun.

But inside, she's nervous. What exactly has Haseo been up to? What's all this strange stuff people are saying about Sakaki? And how about Atoli, what's been happening between her and Haseo since Alkaid got knocked out of the picture? How's he going to react, seeing her again?

And she tries to remember those last blurry moments when she became a Lost One, but the details squirm away. Was Haseo…crying? Was she telling him not to cry? That couldn't have happened, could it? With her just lying there like some dumb damsel in distress…

Then she gets that email from Zelkova - though she doesn't know how he found her Member Address - asking for help on Haseo's behalf. However mixed up Alkaid feels, there's no way she'll refuse that. No way Sirius will either, or Taihaku, and so they head into battle together, united. And somehow, Haseo shows up there too. She's glad that this time he gets to see her in fighting form, but she's even more glad of the hug, and the honest, obvious happiness in his voice, when he greets her.

**XVIII. The Moon**

Bo doesn't have a lot of friends outside The World. He likes making friends with animals, petting their fur and giving them food, but his mother yells at him for that, says he'll get bitten or catch a disease (and he's sickly enough already). He's never had anything like that happen, but feels bad for not doing as he's told…

But it's okay, because when he's older he can take proper responsibility. And in the meantime, he never feels lonely online (just don't play for too long, his mother says, or you'll get a headache). He has Saku, and Haseo, and some of Haseo's other friends are really nice too: Silabus and Atoli are always smiling and trying to help, and Gaspard is nearly Bo's own age, with a cute PC.

Some people don't like Saku much – they think she's bossy, and it's true that she does kind of boss him around, but he doesn't mind; he's just happy she's here to look after him. And sometimes people get mad at Haseo, or Haseo gets mad at them, but Bo knows he's really kind too, and not scared of anything.

Maybe, Bo thinks, the same people who automatically don't like Saku and Haseo are the same people who'd think any animal is going to bite them. He's not sure if that means anything, but it feels like it's the truth.

**XIX. The Sun**

It's only fair that the PC is female. Since Saku is stuck in a boy's body in real life, it's really only fair that she gets to be a girl here in The World. That she gets to pick their guild – Bo doesn't care about anything Trifle does – and use their money, and spend as much time as she can watching Master En.

Because that's the problem, isn't it? Down in the deepest pit of her heart, she knows that no matter how hard she wishes, no matter how strong her devotion, The World is the only place she can even _hope _to make him love her. It's the only place people look at her own face, not her brother's, and don't ask where Iori's mood swing came from. So if Master En ever acknowledged her feelings, got down on his knees and asked to meet her in real life…she'd be forced to turn him down. She'd have no choice! It makes her stomach hurt, thinking about the shame of it.

Which is one more reason to hate Haseo! He's almost certainly a guy IRL, but does that stop him? Does he have any sense of decency at all? No! He just keeps pestering Master En anyway. And so Saku can only watch, and envy, and get nothing at all.

**XX. Judgement**

At first everyone treated her like a child, trying to hide the truth, but bit by bit it trickled out like water through their fingers. It had been the same when she first got sick, all the grown-ups trying to hide the details of her own illness from her, like it was scarier to know than to have a mind full of wild possibilities.

Even worse now was how they were behaving towards her brother, the mean things they were saying behind her back. That AIDA had been all his fault, and now the police were looking for him, and CC Corp hadn't done anything bad itself. How could they lie like that, and get away with it? Why wouldn't anyone listen when she tried to tell them the truth, why would they always look so concerned and try to change the subject, as if she was stupid?

She wasn't stupid. The people making up lies were stupid, because they'd be found out eventually, and the people believing them were stupid, for not bothering to hear her brother's side of the story. All Ovan had wanted to do was save her, and he definitely couldn't have meant to hurt anybody else along the way, because he was too kind for that. So Aina would only ever think kind thoughts about him in return, no matter what anyone else said, ever.

**XXI. The World**

She was so proud of them. All Morganna's little children, proving that good could always rise glowing from the ashes of the bad. She dreamed of their pasts, and their futures, and of things that would never happen (but might have, if things had gone ever so slightly differently). She dreamed of the good, and the bad, and the bittersweet, and as she dreamed she smiled.

All of Morganna's little children, and all the other children of The World, the old and young, the kind and cruel, those who were barely here and those who seldom left. She dreamed of laughter and tears, love and hate, death and rebirth. Skeith's bold son, who had swung from boiling rage to such a deep well of courage. Innis' gentle daughter, with the wings and voice of a sweet little bird. Magus' with his charming ways, Fidchell's with his prodigious wisdom, Gorre's with their balance of shyness and strength, Macha's with his boundless love, Tarvos' with her devotion to duty. And Corbenik's, the lost one, wherever he was now. Aura slept her strange sleep, dreaming of them all…and as she dreamed, she smiled.


End file.
